Raynham Hall Museum will host a presentation exploring the exuberant history of the Lindy Hop and its roots in the Jazz Age when Celia Ipiotis appears on Feb. 5 as part of the museum’s Townsend Talks series.
The program, titled “Jazzing It Up: The Savoy Club Madness,” will feature film clips, historical context and commentary drawn from Ipiotis’ interviews with legendary Lindy Hop dancer and choreographer Frankie Manning. Ipiotis is the producer of the PBS series “Eye on Dance” and has spent decades documenting both concert and vernacular dance traditions.
Ipiotis said the Lindy Hop continues to resonate across generations, even among those who may only have a surface understanding of the dance.
“I think it represents abandoned joy,” she said. “And there’s not a person who doesn’t break out in smiles when they hear the words ‘Lindy Hop.’ That’s a good thing these days.”
Originating during the Jazz Age, the Lindy Hop developed out of earlier social dances like the Charleston and took shape in dance competitions during the teens, 1920s and 1930s. Ipiotis said the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem was central to its evolution, serving as both a cultural hub and an incubator for innovation.
“The Savoy Ballroom figures huge in the life of the Lindy Hop,” she added, “because that was where you had all the top dancers.”
The Savoy was notable not only for its scale and energy, but also for being one of the only racially integrated dance halls in New York City at the time.
Its dance floor hosted some of the era’s most accomplished performers and attracted celebrities, musicians and everyday New Yorkers alike.
Lindy Hop became known for its speed, athleticism and acrobatic elements, including aerial steps that involved lifting and flipping partners in time with the music. Manning, whom Ipiotis interviewed in 1988, is widely credited with inventing the aerial step that came to define the dance.
“When dancers invented new steps, that would sort of create a different rhythm,” she said. “And the bands used to pick up on that and write music for the dancers.”
Ipiotis’ presentation will center on filmed conversations with Manning, who described life at the Savoy and the competitive dance battles that unfolded there. She said hearing dancers speak about the era provides insight not only into technique, but also into the spirit of the time.
“You get people from a particular era, and you hear them speak,” she said. “Even the rhythm of his voice, the way he spoke, the way he described things, it has a jazzy, upbeat feel.”
The event will also connect Lindy Hop to Raynham Hall’s own history through the story of Alice Delano Weekes, a professional concert and ballet dancer associated with the Townsend family and the Roosevelts. Ipiotis plans to highlight Weekes’ career and her performances alongside Josephine Baker during the 1930s as an example of how jazz era dance crossed social and cultural boundaries.
The presentation, also being held in honor of Black History Month, is part of the museum’s Townsend Talks series, which brings speakers from Long Island and beyond to explore topics related to history, art, architecture and culture connected to the site and its mission.
Ipiotis said the evening will move between video clips and live commentary, with opportunities for audience questions throughout.
The program will conclude with footage from the 1941 film “Hellzapoppin’,” which features Manning’s choreography and showcases the extreme athleticism of Lindy Hop dancers. Ipiotis noted that viewers often assume the footage is sped up, though it is not.
The talk will be held in the Raynham Hall Visitors’ Center. Tickets are $25 for nonmembers, $20 for members and $10 for students with identification. Light refreshments are included.
